Chapter 3

Where was Travis?

My heart skipped a beat, and my mind was flooded with all kinds of wild thoughts.

I tried to steady myself and video-called Travis. With every endless ring, my heart sank deeper.

Right before the call was about to cut off, Travis's sweaty face popped up on the screen.

I picked up my phone, my hands trembling. "Babe, where did you go?"

Travis replied softly, "I'm out on a work trip. Something came up last minute. Since you were traveling too, I thought I'd be back before you, so I didn't think I needed to let you know."

"Why are you sweating so much?" I tried to keep my voice steady as I asked.

"I just finished a meeting and forgot my phone. I heard your ringtone in the hallway and rushed back," Travis explained, turning his phone to show the hotel room behind him.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay if you missed my call. Just call me back when you get a chance, no need to hurry."

"I'd hate to disappoint my wife," Travis said with a smile.

I felt all warm inside. "When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow," Travis replied.

Then I remembered Cindy's new boyfriend and couldn't help but gossip. "Hey, did you know Cindy's seeing someone? I was at her place this morning and almost bumped into her boyfriend, but I didn't really see what he looked like."

Travis said casually, "Aren't you two basically joined at the hip? If she didn't even tell you, there's no way she'd tell me."

He had a point, so I let it go.

Just after I hung up, one of Travis's coworkers called me. "Hey, Mrs. Dalton. Travis is out on a work trip, and he said he's worried about you being home alone. If you need anything, just hit me up, okay?"

I replied, "No worries at all! I caught an early flight back today, and I'm planning to crash at home this afternoon. Unless the apocalypse hits, I won't need any help. Thanks a ton!"

The coworker said, "Don't mention it, Mrs. Dalton! Everyone at the office knows Travis is all cold and ruthless at work. But behind the scenes, he's absolutely obsessed with you. You're always his top priority!"

I laughed and hung up.

Just as I was about to sleep, my company called and told me I needed to give a presentation tomorrow.

I rummaged through my bag and realized I'd left my file folder at Cindy's place.

So I had to make another trip over to Cindy's.

She wasn't home again, and I couldn't reach her. Her phone just wouldn't pick up.

I ended up entering the code again, grabbed my file folder, and was ready to head out.

Then, I spotted an unfinished bowl of seafood risotto from Luscious Diner sitting on the dining table. It was Travis's all-time favorite.

My gaze drifted to the shoe rack by the door, where a pair of men's slippers sat. They were exactly Travis's size.

I just stood there, staring at those slippers, completely stunned.

I had no clue what was running through my head. My mind was a total mess.

I shook my head hard, trying to shake off all those random, pointless suspicions.

It must be the lack of sleep making me overthink things. A good nap would set me straight.

Just as I closed the door, Cindy came over. She said, "Cindy, I could've sworn a package came this morning, but now it's gone. I'm old, my memory's bad, my eyesight too. Can you help me check the security footage?"

She clearly thought I was Cindy, but I didn't bother correcting her.

I checked the security footage for her, but there was no sign of any delivery.

I was about to close the playback, and my finger was just about to tap the button.

Then, something suddenly flashed across the screen.

It was like getting struck by lightning. I was totally frozen on the spot.

I quickly hit pause, freezing the frame. My hands were shaking as I scrubbed back through the footage.

Little by little, I scrolled back a few seconds.

On the screen, just moments after I'd left, Cindy was beaming, arm in arm with a guy as they strolled out the front door.

The guy must've sensed something, because he threw a quick glance back at the security camera.

And there was that face I knew better than my own. Those eyes that had looked at me with so much love, night after night. And it was Travis.

It felt like my blood had frozen solid, and my brain was short-circuiting.

Turns out the man who was showering at Cindy's place this morning was Travis all along.

He hadn't left at all. He'd just messed with the smart lock remotely, tricking me into thinking he'd left.

My hands were shaking. I scrolled back through the security footage. For the past two months, while I was away on business, Travis had been shacking up with Cindy. They were coming and going together, just like they were a couple.

My heart just kept sinking.

On March 23rd, at 1 pm, Cindy and Travis dropped me off at the airport for my business trip. An hour later, they were back at her place together, and they didn't leave the house again until noon the next day. The drive from the airport to Cindy's was exactly an hour.

On March 22nd, the day before my business trip, after Travis and I left Cindy's place, he returned at 11 pm and didn't leave until 3 in the morning. I remember he was wearing his emerald green tie.

On March 15th, our wedding anniversary, Travis spent two hours over at Cindy's place. That day, he claimed he had to stay late at the office for some last-minute work.

February 17th, my birthday...

February 10th...

January 26th...